For the second time this year by popular request, Where We Live/Education At The Crossroads is offering a special look at "Women in The Black Panther Party."

Featuring a conversation with those they inspired today.

As Frankye Malika Adams – who, along with her sister - formed the Mt. Vernon chapter of the Black Panther Party before moving into leadership in the Brooklyn Chapter – put it “Women ran the Black Panther Party pretty much.  I don't know how it got to be a male’s party or thought of as being a male’s party…”

Once Again this evening we give voice to some of those women through interviews and archival material which includes:

A long-ranging interview with the above-mentioned Dr. F. Malika Adams Johnson …

An exclusive interview with Erika Huggins who formed the BPP New Haven Chapter after her husband, John was killed – a victim of the FBI’s illegal counterintelligence program against the BPP.

Safiya Bukhari – who served out of the Manhattan Branch and became a political prisoner on charges related to The Black Liberation Army – interviewing Sister Sheba Haven of the West Coast branch of the Party.

Sister Sheba Haven, Recruited into the West Coast branch of the BPP while still in high school and joined right after graduation. She was an instructor at BPP Community School and - along with Dr. Tobert Small -  opened the George Jackson Free Health Clinic in East Berkeley.  Following clandestine work, in 1972 she was arrested and served time with other Panther women and 2 Weather underground members.

Janet Cyril – Member of the Harlem BPP Branch - Ran the legendary BPP children’s breakfast program, created educational services for oppressed people .

Tarika Lewis – said by Bobby Seale to be the first woman to join the Black Panther party in West Oakland in 1967 at the age of 16.

Angie Dobson – Incensed by the arrest of the Panther 21 in New York, Angie joined the Baltimore BPP Chapter after 25 community activists were arrested there.. As a young mother with two children she was known to be a “principled community worker.”

Rosemari Mealy – Initially out of the Philadelphia branch – then transferred to New Haven after the trumped up arrests of Bobby Seal and Erika Huggins to help continue the Chapter work and do support work for the trail – while there Rosemari helped found the first free health clinic in New Haven..

Kathleen Cleaver – Joined the California Branch in 1967 and shortly after married BPP Minister of Information, Eldridge Cleaver. Kathleen was the first woman on the Party’s Central Committee and served as Communications Secretary.

An incredible 1996 conversation between Safiya Bukhari, Assata Shakur and Rosemari Mealy and producer Freddi Smith.
We will also be joined in studio by Sister J. Yasmeen Sutton who joined the Queens Chapter in 1969 and keeps the legacy going today..And we have a conversation with two young organizers of the NY City Chapter of Black Lives Matter; Autumn Marie, who is also a member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and BLM organizer, Nakisha Lewis.

And of course this is a fundraising special to help keep this community radio station alive – so please support us by calling ------------ or logging on to “give2wbai.org” for the 3 CD set - Women In The Black Panther Party – a pledge of $75.00